Harry Potter and the Story That Should Have Been

Harry Potter and the Story That Should Have Been

Disclaimer: I do not own the world of Harry Potter. J.K Rowling owns everything that belongs to this franchise.

Chapter Summary: James and Lily raise Harry to the best of there abilities.

A/N: I would like to thank Killer Queen for taking the time to beta my work for me. I very much appreciate you for taking the time to do this for me.

Chapter Three: Harry's Childhood

True to Albus' word, the moment that he returned to Hogwarts after taking the Potter family to their new home, he set about to do the best that he could do about Sirius Black's situation. By using the powers of being Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, Dumbledore went to Barty Crouch, Sr. and Minister of Magic Millicent Bagnold and formally requested that Sirius be released from Azkaban immediately.

Unfortunately for Albus, his request had fallen on deaf ears. Barty simply refused to listen to the truth and Bagnold may have been sympathetic about what had happened, but the Minister wanted to round up all the Death Eaters as quickly as possible so that the world could focus on living in peace that it needed desperately. Bagnold did, however, agree to the request that Black be moved to a low level cell so that he wouldn't be affected by the Dementors. Seeing that this was all that he could possibly do, Albus returned to his school and wrote a letter to James and Lily, updating them on the plight of their friend.

At Godric's Hollow, James, Lily and Harry spent the next couple of days simply lounging around and spending quality time as a family inside of their home while waiting for the magic to come into affect. Although they were isolated during this time, they relied on the newspaper to keep up with what was happening in the Wizarding world. It was midafternoon on the second day that Albus' letter finally arrived. James and Harry were happily playing on the living room floor with some of Harry's toys, so they didn't notice that Lily was standing in the doorway to the kitchen with the letter in her hand. Noticing that her two boys were enjoying themselves immensely, she didn't want to interrupt them but she knew that James had been anxious to receive word on what was going on with his best mate. Lily cleared her throat and instantly drew the attention of her husband.

“I'm sorry for interrupting your play time,” began Lily, “but I thought you should know that a letter from Albus has just arrived.”

“There is no need to apologise for disturbing because we have all been waiting for this news.” James replied, excitedly getting up from off of the floor and quickly moving towards his wife. “Come on, let's see when Sirius, is coming home.”

James took the letter from Lily and opened it. Unfortunately for James, the news in the letter wasn't what he had been expecting.

Dear James, Lily and Harry

I have just returned from a meeting that I had with Minister Bagnold and Barty Crouch, Sr. concerning Sirius. During the meeting, I explained the situation, but I am sorry to say that there was nothing that I could do to influence them to release Sirius from Azkaban. Although I couldn't guarantee his freedom, the Minister has at least agreed to move Sirius to a low level cell so that the he is away from the Dementors. I realize that this news isn't what you were hoping for, but everything that can possibly be done at this time has been done. Rest assured that I will keep pushing that his case be reopened and that a full investigation be done. For now, let this matter rest and please try to move on with your lives. If not your own sake, but for Harry's sake. From this point forward, his life and well-being is what needs to come first no matter what.

Yours truly,

Albus

After reading the letter, James, in a fit of rage, scrunched up the letter with his hands and threw it across the room.

“HOW DARE THEY! HOW DARE THEY LEAVE AN INNOCENT MAN IN JAIL TO ROT AWAY FOR WHO KNOWS HOW LONG?” shouted James, before sitting down in one of the couches and wept for the injustice that Sirius now had to endure. Lily, who was upset as well, returned Harry to his toys so that he could play on the floor, and quickly took a seat beside her husband.

She wrapped her arms around him and said, “Darling, I know how distressed and angry you are, because I feel the same way. Harry and I will help you get through all of this. I have no doubt that Sirius will be freed and when he does come home, there will be a lot more happiness and laughter. For now we need to concentrate on Harry, because his childhood isn't going to be easy for him and with everything he will be facing, he will need us more now than ever before.”

Lily passed a handkerchief to James, who gladly took it so that he could compose himself. After he pulled himself together he embraced his wife and said, “You're right, love, and I am sorry for my earlier outburst.”

“There is no need to apologise for being upset,” replied Lily with understanding. “But now we need to discuss how we're going to raise Harry. I was thinking that…”

Before Lily could get carried away, James gently placed a finger on her lips to silence her.

“Love,” James interrupted. “We don't need to make a list about how we're going to be raising our son. I know the muggle things that you want Harry to know about, and you know the magical things I want him to learn. Between the two of us, I am pretty confident that we can give Harry, the best of both Muggle and Magical worlds. For now, let's just take one day at a time and as each year goes by, you'll see that it will all work out for the best.”

Truer words were never spoken, because James' prediction came to pass. The next ten years flew by for the Potter family and as each year went by, James and Lily couldn't believe how quickly Harry grew up.

The first couple of years, James and Lily were kept busy on their feet because Harry was learning to get around and was moving all over the place. Once Harry had learnt how to walk, he started to explore the delights and wonders of all the cupboards, drawers, shelves, as well as all the nooks and crannies in the house. Harry loved the kitchen, lounge room, and James' study. Whenever he got the opportunity to, Harry would remove plastic containers, saucepans from the kitchen cupboards, take the books from the shelves in James' study and he would play with them on the floor. Although it seemed to be fun to Harry to be getting into mischief, James and Lily weren't really impressed by the chaos created by their son. Each time that they discovered playing with things that he shouldn't be playing with, James or Lily, depending on who discovered the clutter, would tidy up the mess with a quick flick of a wand, and would administer a few smacks on Harry's backside to punish him for being disobedient and naughty.

Other than exploring cupboards and such, Harry also loved to make pictures out of paints, crayons, and colouring pencils. Most of the paintings/drawings that he made sometimes were just a disarray of colours all over the paper, but whenever James and Lily saw what Harry had created, they would exclaim, “Oh isn't that pretty.” “James, look at what Harry, has just drawn.”

These pictures were proudly displayed on the walls for couple of days and then they were placed in a bin for discarding. However, Lily kept a select few of the nicer pictures and glued them into a special book so that one day she could show Harry what his childhood was like.

Harry began to grow and as he did so, it became apparent that he was going to be a bright and powerful wizard. Some of accidental magic he performed proved to be quite potent: after James had taken Harry for a ride on the toy broom that had been given to Harry as a birthday present, Harry decided that he wanted to have a go by himself. Knowing where the brooms were kept, he quickly made his way to the shed. As he tried to open the shed door, Harry discovered that it had been locked. Seeing that he couldn't get what he was after, Harry soon became angry and before he could stop himself, his magic discharged and in a blink of an eye, door to the shed had been destroyed and his toy broom sailed towards him. Discovering what he had just done, Harry couldn't help but smile at his success and before he could get into trouble with his parents, he quickly jumped onto the broom and began flying around.

Unfortunately for Harry, his little adventure didn't last long enough to be enjoyed. A few moments after his was airborne, James and Lily came outside with cold drinks for them all to enjoy. They had barely taken two steps out the door when James and Lily were stopped dead in their tracks by the sight of Harry flying on his broom. From the stunts that he pulled in the air, they instantly knew that Harry had inherited James' capabilities of riding and handling a broom.

Once the shock had worn off, Lily who was far from being ecstatic about what she had seen, yelled, “HARRY JAMES POTTER, YOU COME DOWN HERE THIS VERY MINUTE!”

Up in the air, Harry heard his mother's shriek and he knew he was in hot water. Not wanting to get into anymore than he was already in, Harry quickly flew down to his mum so that he could face the music.

“You call for me mum?” Harry said cautiously as he dismounted his broom.

“Harry, what are the rules when it comes to riding on your broom?” Lily asked.

“I am only allowed to ride it when daddy is with me,” responded Harry quietly, eyes on the ground.

“That's right. Now, please tell me how you were able to get the broom from the shed and go for a ride on it without being supervised?”

“After the ride with dad, I wanted to see what I could do. So after dad left I…” began Harry. He went on to explain everything that had happened. By the time that Harry had finished his explanation; both of his parents had turned and looked at the shed to see the results of the accidental magic. Sure enough, they saw what remained of the door and there wasn't much left. James headed towards the shed so that he could repair the door while Lily continued her discussion with Harry.

“Harry, while your father and I understand that what you did was accidental magic, we are very disappointed in you for breaking the rules and unfortunately will have to be punished. Your broom is going to be confiscated for a week. After the week is up, your father is going to teach you how to ride a broom properly so that you won't be needed to be supervised all the time.”

Harry apologized for what he did and accepted his punishment. Lily ruffled his hair before leading him inside the house for some refreshment.

A week later, James took Harry under his wing and in no time, father and son were enjoying spending time together riding on their brooms. James began teaching Harry to play Quidditch and training him how to be a seeker after James realized that Harry had a natural ability for catching small flying objects. Once Harry had learned how to ride properly and handle a broom, James went out and brought Harry a Cleansweep 3 for him to ride. Harry thought that the broom had been a wonderful present, although Lily wasn't very happy about what James did. Seeing the moves that her son had learned, she knew without a doubt that he was a talented flyer and that when he got to Hogwarts, whatever house Harry ended up being in (hopefully, it would be Gryffindor), would be gaining an excellent Quidditch player.

Aside from playing mock Quidditch in the backyard, Harry developed a huge interest in the sport. His dad had given him an old copy of Quidditch Through the Ages and he grew to become a fan of the professional teams. James was a fan Puddlemere United while Harry supported Montrose Magpies. Whenever these two teams played against each other, both James and Harry would sit around the wizarding wireless and listen to the game. There was nothing that could make them budge from their seats until the game ended. Sometimes the game would last for a couple of days, while others ended in a few short hours. James also insisted that he had to take Harry to see a few games as well because what's the point in playing and learning all about a sport if one can't go and watch one.

“James, are you sure that it's a good idea to be taking Harry to see a Quidditch match?” asked Lily.

“Lily, I think it's a wonderful idea for our son to see how the sport is played. I know that you're worried that something might happen, but I convinced that everything will be fine.”

“Alright, I'll allow you to take Harry to the game, but I want a Glamour charm to be placed on his forehead so that his scar is hidden while you're out in public. He is still so young, so the last thing that we need is for him to be mobbed at the match.”

As it turned out, Lily should've insisted on the use of the a full glamour charm because several people still recognized the Potters. Acting the way crazy fans would with a celebrity, they started to converge on them both. Seeing how the crowd was beginning to act and that his son was starting to get frightened, James grabbed Harry by the hand and apparated them back to their home before anything could happen. They appeared in the living room with a pop and startled Lily, who had been reading on the lounge.

“James, Harry, what are you doing back so soon?” Lily asked, with concern.

“Lily, I am afraid that the both of us were swamped by enthusiastic fans and most of all, everyone began to flock towards Harry,” answered James. “I thought that it would be best to get him away from there. I think that we need to explain to him why people acted that way and the reason why he has his scar.

Lily knew that it would be only a matter of time before they had to tell Harry everything and since this was bound to be the first of many incidents, she sighed and agreed with her husband. Harry was still so young, but he needed to know what he was facing.

After dinner had been eaten and the dishes had been done, James, Lily, and Harry gathered in the living room to have a serious conversation.

Once they were all comfortable, Lily began. “Harry, the time has come for your dad and I to tell you the story about the scar on your forehead. The thing is Harry…”

Lily went on to explain everything about Voldemort, what he had done, and how Harry came to have that scar. Only thing that they left out was the prophecy because they both felt that it was way too early to tell him about it. By the time she had finished saying all that needed to be said, Harry found it hard to believe how and why he had become famous. He was still so young and the news was overwhelming.

All he could do, with tears beginning to form, was ask, “Mum, dad, does this mean that you're going to be treating me different from now on? Are you still going to love me as Harry or as Harry Potter the Boy Who Lived?”

Seeing that Harry had become upset, Lily went over to her son and wrapped him into a hug and softly said, “We both love you very much and there is nothing on earth that is going to make us feel or raise you any differently. You are very special to us and for always were going to treat you as Harry and only as Harry.”

”Your mother is right, son,” agreed James, placing a hand on Harry's shoulder. We both love you very much and nothing can ever change that.” hearing these words Harry pulled back and said

“Really?” Harry asked after hearing these words.

“Yes Harry,” affirmed James. “Your mother and I both meant what we said.”

With those words James, Lily and Harry shared a family hug and muttered `I love you.' over and over until the message had sunk in. From that point on, Harry never doubted ever again that he was truly loved by his parents and that they only treated him as plain and simple Harry. Harry was seven year old at this point in time.

Time continued to move on and as it did, Harry continued to grow. Harry attended the local primary school. It was Lily's wish that Harry be educated `the muggle way' and by doing so he could learn all the basics things like reading, writing and arithmetic/

It soon became apparent to James and Lily that Harry had a good head on his shoulders and was really quite intelligent. This was evident in the end of the year results from Harry's teacher. Harry's grades were usually the in top two places, although it depended on the subjects. For example, Harry had the highest marks in English, Mathematics and Physical Education; while in Science, Social Science/Studies, and the other subjects, Harry was given the second highest grade. (During this time Harry was six-ten years old.)

Apart from all the learning that Harry did while he was at school, he made friends with some of his fellow classmates. Harry enjoyed playing with kids his own age and of course, as friends do whenever there was an occasion, whether it was a sleepover or a birthday party, Harry would be invited over and vice versa.

Although when it was Harry's turn to be the host of an event, James and Lily had to make sure that all magical things were hidden because the last thing that they needed was for the ministry to send a team of Obliviators to alter their guests' memories. To make things easier for everyone, whenever James and Lily decided to give Harry a birthday party, it was decided that they would hold the party at the local McDonalds. Since the majority of Harry's friends were muggles, this proved to work out best. In the end, whatever option James and Lily went with, everyone had a great time and Harry enjoyed himself immensely. (Again the same age of 5-10)

While Harry had a heap of happy moments and memories throughout his childhood, probably one of the best occasions that made him the happiest was when Albus Dumbledore would come and pay the Potters a visit. These visits usually occurred on his birthday, Christmas, Easter, and during summer vacation. At each visit, the instant that Albus entered through the front door, Harry would shout out “Granddad Dumbledore is here!” Before James or Lily could stop him, Harry would rush to the person who was his grandfather in all but blood and hug him.

Of course, Albus returned the embrace warmly and each time that he saw his adopted grandson, love filled his heart. Being a true grandfather, Dumbledore always brought a present for Harry each time he came to visit. Weather it was candy, clothes, books, games, and a wide assortment of other gifts. Harry didn't care what the gift was, he simply loved it because it came from his Grandad and he always thanked Albus for it.

In the decade after the attack, James and Lily did everything they could to raise Harry in a happy and secure home. They ensured that he had all the necessities that a child would need. Although Harry did have more than most children, James and Lily took care that they didn't buy the most expensive items, nor did they give Harry whatever he desired. They wanted to make sure that Harry wouldn't to become a spoiled, rude, and arrogant child. As it turned out, Harry grew up as the complete opposite of this - Harry was a loving, compassionate, and understanding person. He didn't like being famous and he simply hated the reaction whenever he met other magical people in Godric's Hollow.

Also through his childhood, Harry learned that he had a godfather named Sirius Black and was told that the reason why he wasn't around to visit. Since Harry couldn't see his godfather at all, James and Lily would tell Harry stories about him. They even showed Harry some of their memories of Sirius in the pensieve so that Harry could get a picture of what Sirius was truly like. and as part o After seeing these reflections, Harry came to know him in a way, and began to love him as an uncle, even though they had never met. This wasn't hard to do, considering some of the pranks that Sirius had pulled were while Harry was a young child.

Harry's eleventh birthday was fast approaching and James and Lily knew that it was almost time for Harry to go off to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and begin his magical education. They decided that for Harry's 11^th birthday, they would make sure that it would be a birthday that he would remember and cherish. Knowing that Harry had a love for animals, it was decided that they would take Harry to the new zoo in London that had just opened up.

Unbeknownst to the Potter family, Lily's sister Petunia Dursley and her husband Vernon were also busily planning a trip for their son Dudley's 11^th birthday. Since the Dursleys always spoilt their Dudley rotten, it had been decided that they would take him to the new zoo as well. Since neither family had any idea that they would be seeing each other, their encounter was going to be extremely interesting.

A/N: Coming up Harry's eleventh birthday. We meet the Dursleys and Harry receives his Hogwarts letter from Albus Dumbledore. Also please don't flame me or criticise me for leaving Sirius in Azkaban because doing what I have done will be a critical factor that will bring our favourite couple together. He will be pardoned at the end of third year that you can be rest assured of.

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